guess
[ ges ]
/ gɛs /
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verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to form an estimate or conjecture (often followed by at or about): We guessed at the weight of the package.
to estimate or conjecture correctly.
noun
an opinion that one reaches or to which one commits oneself on the basis of probability alone or in the absence of any evidence whatever.
the act of forming such an opinion: to take a guess at someone's weight.
OTHER WORDS FOR guess
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Idioms about guess
by guess and by gosh, Northern U.S. using a combination of guesswork and reliance on luck; hit or miss.Also by guess and by golly.
Origin of guess
1300–50; (verb) Middle English gessen, perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Swedish, Danish, Norwegian gissa, Middle Low German gissen, Middle Dutch gessen, Old Norse geta; (noun) Middle English gesse, derivative of the verb. See get
synonym study for guess
1, 2, 4. Guess, guess at, conjecture, surmise imply attempting to form an opinion as to the probable. To guess is to risk an opinion regarding something one does not know about, or, wholly or partly by chance, to arrive at the correct answer to a question: to guess the outcome of a game. Guess at implies more haphazard or random guessing: to guess at the solution of a crime. To conjecture is to make inferences in the absence of sufficient evidence to establish certainty: to conjecture the circumstances of the crime. Surmise implies making an intuitive conjecture that may or may not be correct: to surmise the motives that led to it.
OTHER WORDS FROM guess
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH guess
guessed , guestDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use guess in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for guess
guess
/ (ɡɛs) /
verb (when tr, may take a clause as object)
(when intr, often foll by at or about) to form or express an uncertain estimate or conclusion (about something), based on insufficient informationguess what we're having for dinner
to arrive at a correct estimate of (something) by guessinghe guessed my age
informal, mainly US and Canadian to believe, think, or suppose (something)I guess I'll go now
keep a person guessing to let a person remain in a state of uncertainty
noun
Derived forms of guess
guessable, adjectiveguesser, nounguessingly, adverbWord Origin for guess
C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Swedish gissa, Old Danish gitse, Middle Dutch gissen; see get
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with guess
guess
see anyone's guess; educated guess; have another guess coming; your guess is as good as mine.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.